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Published online 24 July 2006 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news060724-2
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Computer games could save your brain
Researchers to check whether FreeCell can detect early signs of Alzheimer's.
If you're one of the many people who while away hours playing FreeCell, that heinously addictive and complicated version of Solitaire, you may be interested to hear that some researchers think your performance in this computerized card game might reveal early signs of dementia.
As Holly Jimison from the Oregon Center for Aging and Technology explains, scientists are looking for ways to spot mild loss of brain function, termed 'mild cognitive impairment' (MCI), before the full-blown symptoms of Alzheimer's disease emerge.
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